Official Google Maps app for iPhone now available

The rumors are true! Google Maps for iPhone is now available in the App Store. One of the biggest things it offers that Apple Maps doesn't (other than not getting you lost in Australia), is public transit directions by train, bus, or subway.

The main features of Google Maps includes built-in Google local search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions, and Google Street View. You can also discover places to eat, drink, shop, and play including rating and reviews. If you sign in, you can save and quickly access all your past searches and direction from your computer, right on your iPhone.

Additionally, Google Maps lets you access live traffic information in cities across the world, see inside more that 100,000 businesses worldwide, and view high resolution satellite imagery of locations around the world.

Personally, I'm having issues installing Google Maps and keep getting a "this item is no longer available" error, but others are able to download it fine. We've heard installing through iTunes on your computer might be a good work around as well.

Leanna LofteFormer app and photography editor at iMore, Leanna has since moved on to other endeavors. Mother, wife, mathamagician, even though she no longer writes for iMore you can still follow her on Twitter @llofte.

OMG. What medication are you on?? This is a complete lie. Why are you posting rubbish? Do you work for Google that you signed up on iMore a few hours ago to make false comments? The two maps are completely different. I have both Android and iOS. The difference is so extreme that I am not even going to dignify your comment with providing proof. The Google iOS map app is extremely inferior and lacks tonnes of features.

Are you nuts VeryConfused? GM for iOS 6 is just like the ICS native app. Turn by Turn is identical. there is a slight tweak to the GUI but content is identical, and the feel is the same. I am finally able to say I am satisfied with my iPhone now that I have Google Maps, it was the one thing I missed from my Nexus. Now it is on my iPhone.

I got it first time no problem. It's ok. Probably a complement to the new iOS maps as opposed to a replacement. You definitely will learn to appreciate how smooth it is to navigate around the map in the stock apple app!

That is so true. I have only been playing with it for a day but although it is great in every way if you have a slow data connection like I do thanks to sprint, the stock app may be a little faster although the lack of detail does not make up for it....

Sticking with the iOS maps which has been just fine for me. I will only use anything google when absolutely necessary (i.e., search some of the time) but would never download their apps. They're just too "big brother" for me...

yeah i noticed that. hope it get's added. that said i've got like no address in there. I ran into that last weekend when i took a detour to get coffee on my way to a friends house and needed quick directions back. whups. i need to enter that info.

i like it. looks very nice. and it has navigation which is great. i hope it doesn't kill my battery like apple maps though. but street view is awesome, google map info is great. needs contact access though.

Gotit and looks pretty good. Some missing elements as others have pointed out. The Google experience on iOS is pretty good relatiely speaking. Get us Google Now and Google Music apps and who needs an Android device?

Exactly. Now I know it is because Apple doesn't want to be on their platform, but only on iOS can you truely get everything. iBooks, iTunes, Apple Maps, PLUS all the Amazon services, all the Google services, etc.

Competition is a great thing. It forced Google to step their game up. Google+ and YouTube look amazing on the iPhone, even better than they do on Android. While I haven't had a problem with Apple maps and I love the integration, I will test out Google. Google used to get me lost, more times that I care to admit in a city that I've lived in forever, but I'm not good at directions so that what it's for, no? I love all things Apple but I'm always open to try things and give it an honest opinion based on my usage. Apple Maps has been near perfect for me. Hopefully I'll be able to say the same of Google.

I'm very interested when people say that apple maps have been perfect for them. What exactly so you mean by that? For me the lack of street view, poi's, relevant data as well turn by turn and other things made the maps a dreadful expierence for me. Although I can say the apple maps load a lot faster are easier on the eyes and intergrate better, I still believe that it was a flop and my expierence has been nothing but a headache.

After about an hour, I was able to download the app. I must say the App is a big let down but it renders faster than the mobile web version and streetview works really well. There is no need for third party apps now that offer streetview.

Still, no POIS, the top and bottom bars are highly intrusive and you can't get rid of them.

Public transit is suppose to be available but you get an error message saying it's not available in your area.

There is no scaling of your map eg. 200 metres scaling line.

Hopefully Google will improve this app and make it similar if not mirror the Android version. However, I don't expect the latter since it would be in Google's best interest to release the latest and greatest features to Android first and later to iOS.

It is funny, now Google gave iphone lovers just a little bite of the android chocolate and they are over the moon. I think it is time for you guys to open your eyes and move on! basically the difference between Google Maps to iphone's stock map is same as differences between Android and iOS. If you think google map is much better then you are confessing Android is much better that iOS.

This is not entirely true. As I said before, going to Android, I lose all my iBooks, videos, apps. Again, Apple is the most open in terms of being able to have the best possible app/ecosystem. We get everything Amazon or Google put out there PLUS all the Apple stuff.

I'm not sure you understand what 'open' is. You are stuck in a closed, Apple ecosystem As a Google services user, I can move from iPhone to an Android device and back with little to no pain. You can't leave your iPhone or you'll lose your 'iBooks [and] videos.' That's them pinning you in a corner... the opposite of open.

Perhaps open was the wrong choice of words. My point is that only on an iOS device do you truly have a choice to get your media anywhere you want. Not on android, certainly not on Kindle. Just an opinion.

I realize it is Apple not Google to 'thank' for that. I acknowledged that above. I am just making a point.

Sad analogy, but like Sears says, they are the only store to get all top # brands of appliance (because only they sell kenmore) - same is true of iOS.

And I have used android. I prefer iOS. To be perfectly honest, webOS would be my first choice overall. If Apple allowed the cards/multi-task switcher on webOS as well as the Synergy for contacts, iOS would be perfect (for me).

I am not one that wants android gone, nor do I care about market share. There is room for all of them.

Neither Google nor anyone else is paying me to advertise for their product! Look if Google was going to push IOs users to leave their devices they would not publish their own apps on apple (something that apple does not do). other than iphones, it is very easy to jump from one platform to another, from Android to blackberry to Symbian to windows (I have done it many times myself), but apple always tries to close things so badly that any person goes around them they are locked to their systems. not because they are perfect and you feel bad to leave them it is because it is hard to sync your stuff with other platforms.
btw I had an iphone and ipod touch before and my room mate has an iphone and ipad so i have tried them all. believe me it hurts to see people are locked to one product! look what iSRS wrote and think on what i said.

I don't get this. I am an Android user, but as a whole, I don't try to push people away from using the OS of their choice. They paid the money for the device and they are free to use whatever phone they want. I like technology as a whole and all iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows they are all decent options and I want them all to succeed as competition is good for the market as a whole. I never got the whole phone os wars thing, nobody cares what kind of TV I bought, so why should you care what phone I bought? And now back to the Maps discussion since that is what this article is about.

Maybe you are right, maybe it is better like this so there will be a competition between them, at the end we will get better products for cheaper prices. I thought it is not fair to others but whatever.

OK, the funny thing about MOST but not ALL iPhone users is they think their phone does many things that other phones don't. their phone has some special hidden advantages that the other phones don't. all I am saying is it is not true, go and check the other systems and you find them much easier and user friendly and CHEAPER. I know this and I wanted to share my knowledge with others. that is all, if you do not want to accept it, fine, go and wait in a queue and pay double for the phone that does less than the others. ;)

For me the ability to drop a pin in the middle of no where (hunting,camping,fishing,ect) is very crucial to share that EXACT location in case of emergencies. And the apple map wasn't even close when you shared the location where as the old map worked perfect. HOPEFULLY the new google one will share the location the way it did before. Looking forward to test it.

Apples maps may have issues for some, but they have a much more sophisticated look and feel. Only reason I downloaded this is I was hoping when I did a google search for a business etc. and clicked directions to I hoped it would send me to the app like it use to. Did a search, hit directions to and it still asks me if I want to add a web icon to my home screen.

This Google maps KILLS Apple Maps more than the last version of Google maps. I can't see anyone going back to using Apple maps with this available. It's not available for the iPad, however, and that sucks, but I'll live with it, as I don't use my iPad in the car for GPS Navigation.

What's sad is that Apple will never let you guys set this as your default Maps app. In fact, I'll be very surprised if they EVER let Google Maps become integrated with Siri, Mail, Messages, or Safari. As a result, you're going to be stuck copying/pasting addresses into GMaps for the rest of your lives!

Installed ok on my 4S, but when I took it for a run in my car there was no turn by turn voice guidance, or any voice at all. Could it be a problem with my automatic connection to the car's radio? I will need to switch off the iphone blue tooth to find out, I guess, but it's a pity it didn't work straight-up.

worked right away, mine is a 4 s with IOS 5; using the bluetooth connection to get the voice directions does mean interrupting the radio or music frequently though, each command keeps the call connection up for at least 15 secs even after the end of the voice command, perhaps to allow for sequential directions during quick changes of directions.....one issue though, I cannot delete he previous version of Google maps that were default on the phone, and the Contacts addresses still call up this old version...any ideas on how I can link Contacts to the new GM app?

I can't seem to get the turn-by-turn over Bluetooth, even when it's connected. If I turn off the BT to get the voice over the phone (thus losing the phone connection), it drops the phone pairing. Maybe it's the car - I can't get Apple Maps over the BT, though Siri works perfectly. In any event, Google Maps sent me home on a very circuitous route, whereas Apple Maps took me there in a direct, correct way - the way I usually go anyway. I'm leery now about Google's routing..